This week of clinical dietetics lectures have been very interesting. I guess it sheds light on the struggles dietitians face. We’ve been taught to do all these thorough assessments in theory but in the actual clinical setting, sometimes giving them all the nutrition advice with good intentions may not be what they need. If only dietitians were given more time to really dig deeper and see the underlying factors to a person’s viewpoint about food.
The title quote above is an Indian saying that I heard from one of Ravi Zacharias’s podcasts, and I guess it’s sort of related in a sense that the conventional way of collecting someone’s diet history and coming up with a meal plan can really be quite useless when a person is not motivated or ready to change. There’s so much more to a patient, he/she is not just an individual, he/she is an individual with a family, of a particular lifestyle, with a history, etc… There is so much need for dietitians to see a bigger picture.
Another thing that struck me this week in class was when a dietitian commented that she was relieved to see a packet of chocolates in the middle of our table. Some dietitians get so caught up with eating healthy and munching on vegetable sticks only, etc. But most people aren’t like that, and it’s fine for a dietitian to not eat salads for lunch all the time. We’re humans, too. We have foods that we like that aren’t necessarily considered “healthy”. The difference is that we should know not to overeat.
So the next time you think dietitians always eat healthy, think again. We’re normal people :)
That’s all I’ve to say.
Toodleloos!
Been motivated to blog because I just had my first hospital visit to Sunshine hospital for a whole day of lectures on diabetes, and I must say it was very interesting. Good recap of my nutrition knowledge and it also cleared up some confusion I’ve had about diabetes and taught me new things.
I’ve always had an interest in gestational diabetes (GDM) since I first heard of it in my undergraduate days. It’s diabetes developed when a woman is pregnant, but it usually goes away if managed properly. It happens because of insulin resistance resulting from an increase in hormones produced by the placenta.
Although it subsides in most cases, GDM does have it’s problems.
1. Insulin resistance results in elevate blood glucose levels, and more glucose swimming around the body means more calories for the foetus, allowing it to grow rather big, making it difficult to deliver.
2. An overweight baby will likely stay as an overweight child and will also have a high chance to remain an overweight adult which increases the risk of diabetes development in their life cycle. So a fat baby doesn’t mean it’s a healthy baby as Chinese people like to say.
On another note, you know how mums always say it’s ok to eat double the normal amount when a lady is pregnant because she’s feeding 2 people? That’s not true. The foetus in a pregnant lady does not eat as much as an adult lady, so while the a pregnant lady would eat more, it shouldn’t be so much that the amount would equate to 2 adults’ meals. I’m one of those who tend to take old wives tales with a pinch of salt or disregard them completely, and the above statement explains why.
That’s all.
Toodleloos!
You know how all these fad diets and fear of carbs are followed by quite a number of people these days? Let me tell that’s a whole lot of bullocks. I get really annoyed when someone says you’ll lose weight with a diet that’s low in carbs.
Well OBVIOUSLY because carbohydrates hold water, so with less carbohydrates in your body, that means you’ll also lose water mass. But with that weight loss also comes loss of your protein stores cos’ there isn’t enough glucose from carbohydrates going through your body for normal bodily functions. So your muscle mass will waste away with it.
Most of us probably know that carbs are where you get glucose, and glucose is your body’s fuel like petrol is to a car. So if you don’t get enough, your body will feel tired quite easily and your brain will find it difficult to cope, plus you’ll be in a bad mood pretty darn often. Not pretty. If that’s not enough, a diet lacking sufficient carbs could also cause bad breath. Bleagh.
So those are basically the reasons why you shouldn’t follow a diet that has very low carbs in it like the Atkins diet. I think Atkins says to have about 20g of carbs per day or something like that. In actual fact, your body needs at the very least 130g a day. That’s right, that’s how much you’re starving your body with a crap diet like that. And it probably can’t be sustained for long cos’ your body will just burn out.
So, aim to eat healthily people, don’t just follow any trending fad diet that promises weight loss, because honestly, they’re usually a whole lot of rubbish.
That being said, don’t overdo on the carbs either as it gets stored as fats, and you don’t want too much of that. Hehe. The Australian recommendation is to get about 45-60% of your total energy intake from carbs, which would equate to 230-310g of carbs per day. That’s an estimate and it’s more accurate to tailor it to your body mass. Also 100g of a food (eg: rice) doesn’t mean it’s 100g carbs. So you’ve got a bit of calculating to do if you’re gonna calculate carbs. A simple and rough estimate is to get about 1/3 of your plate to consist of carbs in a meal. Get a good distribution of carbs throughout the day, snack (not potato chips, healthy snacks like water crackers or an apple) a little in between meals if you need to so that you get a good supply of glucose throughout the day.
Hope that helps clear some stuff up about carbs and the misconception that it should be minimized in a diet.
Toodleloos!
I’ve just ended my third day in my Postgrad and already, I’m getting overwhelmed. Having to wake up at 6am to get to Burwood by 8am with the long travelling and crazy traffic, plus busy nights at church and sadness when I see my petrol level decrease so quickly. It’s seriously a whole different level to undergrad. Praying I’ll survive. At least I’ve met some nice people so far, and my lecturers are great! :)
Officially a student dietitian, nametag and all!
Taking a break from the madness of uni, I’ve decided to blog about Manchester Press. I’ve mentioned it before in my post about Seven Seeds, and last Saturday, I finally had the chance to pay the famous cafe a visit. It’s in a little alley way called Rankins Lane in Melbourne CBD, and it’s really easy to miss (seems like all the good coffee places are hidden away) but good thing David spotted the big sign in the alley that said “MP”.
They serve a range of closed and open bagel, and some other salads, muesli, and yoghurts. They’ve got small desserts, too. Here’s a picture of my closed tuna and jalapeno bagel.
Finally got my own cuppa funny face latte!!
I’d say I’m not a huge fan of the food, but I do like their coffee. Think it’s not one of those cafes I’d visit often, but if I happen to be in the vicinity, I might drop by for a cuppa.
Back to the readings and drowning myself in uni work.
Toodleloos!
